Summary:

The guys out at Fifty West officially opened their taproom Friday night and I was extremely fortunate to have a little bit of free time and was short a couple of kids. This was the perfect recipe to make a quick run out east to check out their facility.

Finding it was pretty easy with some great signage at the road and my familiarity from hitting up Flip Daddy’s just down the road. There was ample parking and it was great to see a Cafe De Wheels truck parked out front.

Upon walking in was immediately surprised at the gorgeous and expansive taproom! If you’ve been to some of the others in town you know they are kind of just added-on to the brewery. In all fairness, the other guys started brewing before taprooms were legally permitted so I’m sure it wasn’t at the top of their space planning list. Anyways, I digress…

This place is full of warm wood and gold tones. It really has an upscale lodge/lounge feel to it. The detail work is spectacular with the tile backsplash behind the taps, exposed wood beams along the ceilings, and the rustic wood wainscoting. There are three large, well-lit, suspended chalkboards detailing all the current beers on tap. You have a bar that runs about twenty feet with two sets of approximately ten tap handles. It may seem like overkill but this place is set up to move some beverages. There was also a large TV in one corner and their sound system was piping in some classic vinyl from their turntable. Nice move!

There were about eight round high top tables; each able to accommodate up to 5-6 people comfortably. The tables also had trays of Servatti pretzels and beer cheese tonight! I didn’t have a chance to look around further but there was a grotto like seating area below that appeared to offer a more intimate setting. There was also a good sized patio that will be well used once this damn winter is behind us.

Oh, and they serve good beer.

After a very long week and even longer day I immediately opted for their Hoppy When Wet fresh hopped ale. It was very good and very refreshing. I ran through that pint quickly. My wife opted for their Christmas Cookie. I thought it was excellent as it was easy on the spices and finished with a touch of sugar sweetness. She was less enthused since she was expecting something different. Nonetheless, she finished it and enjoyed it.

We had just enough time for one more drink. I waffled between their Coffee Please stout and their Belgian pale ale. When pressed for a decision I went with the stout. She went for their Whit’s Wit based on a prior great experience. The stout ran through a nitro tap which was a pleasant surprise. The presentation was great with a dark Coca Cola head topped snifter. The aroma had a “the best part of waking up” blast of coffee. I chewed through the head to find a very mild and smooth stout with a deep coffee richness. The chalk board said 7.1% ABV but I would have believed you if you said 4%. Needless to say, it was good and went down very quickly.

We opted for single servings tonight due to time constraints but they do offer flights if you want to run through their selection. I’ve been impressed with all of their beers and I hope they consider bottling or canning because I think their product would be well received.

In short, I will definitely plan on coming back in the near future when I have more time to spend. You should make plans to do the same. Cheers to Fifty West for bringing a dream to life in spectacular form!